Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone attend a meeting on the sidelines of the Russia-ASEAN summit, which commemorates 35 years of collaboration between Russia and the ASEAN countries, in the central Russian city of Kazan, around 700 kilometres (435 miles) east of the capital Moscow, on June 18, 2026. (Photo by Anastasia Barashkova / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)